The 50 Shapes Workout: 'Everybody wants to have better sex'

Throughout the ‘Fifty Shades’ trilogy, the main protagonists, Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey have “ridiculous, off the hook sex” every other day

Throughout the ‘Fifty Shades’ trilogy, the main protagonists, Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey have “ridiculous, off the hook sex” every other day, Kristen James, the fitness trainer behind the ‘50 Shapes Workout’ tells Metro.

“I kept hearing women say, ‘who has the stamina or the flexibility for that kind of sex? It wasn’t ‘what are they doing?!’ but ‘how are they doing it?!’ Anastasia wasn’t just on her back. She was contorted all over the place.”

But that’s fiction. According to James, women are exhausted. “They don’t have enough stamina in the bedroom. They’re thinking, ‘He wants me to get on top…I’ll do it to make him happy and then I can go to sleep’.” James wanted her workout to help women look and feel better. “You should never have to turn the lights off during sex. I want them to develop the strength and confidence to reenact the crazy positions described in the books.”

THE 50 SHAPES WORKOUT

The Pilates based exercises are designed to help you execute moves from the book. “The better you feel about your physical appearance, the more empowered and able you are to pleasure yourself and your partner,” says James. “Over time, the workout will create long, limber muscles and help you bend over in a pair of really high heels...”

Seductive Squats: Stand with your feet wider than hip width apart and turn your toes out 45 degrees. With a neutral spine, elevate up onto your toes and lower your hips down to knee height. As you return up, perform one Kegel contraction.

Lusty Lunges: Stand with your feet wider than hip width apart and your toes facing forward. Lunge to the side deeply into one leg being sure to sit back into your glutes as you descend. Reach for your toe with the opposite hand as you other arm reaches overhead allow-ing for some rotation to your spine. Alternate side to side to complete the set.

Corkscrews: Assume the plank position, being sure to line up your shoulders with your wrists. With your feet hip width apart, start bringing one knee into your chest, and rotate your torso.

Passion Push-ups: Push-ups can be done either on your toes or on your knees for this exercise. Move your hands in closer than shoulder width apart, and rotate your thumbs inward creating a diamond shape with your hands. Perform one single pushup, and then sitback to your heels to stretch, continue until you complete a set of ten, stretching back after each one.

Risqué Rotations: Seated on the floor, tilt your tailbone under creating a “C” shape in your spine from your breast bone to your pubic bone. Bring your hands into the “prayer” position. Reach back, one hand at a time behind you. Brace your core as if it was a box and you have to squeeze all four sides of it as you rotate and reach back. Alternate hands to complete the set.

Dirty Diamonds: Lie on your back with your legs extended up overhead at 90 degrees. Allow only your heels to touch, extending your toes out to a 45-degree angle. Lower your knees and allowing them to drop out to your side as low as they can go. As you extend them backup to the ceiling, lift your tailbone straight up contracting your abs - be sure to perform one strong Kegel at the top of every movement.

Here’s what it will help you achieve:

Long and loose hamstrings

Many of us have limited range in motion in our hamstrings (the group of tendons contracted by four posterior thigh muscles) because of the amount of time we spend sat down, either at our desk, on the couch or driving. “If you’re lying down on your back having sex and you can’t put your legs up in the air or spread them open because your hamstrings are so short, then you need to do moves that will extend them and improve your flexibility,” says James. The ‘sexy scissor’ move is designedto lengthen and stretch you out.

A strong core

With age, women they tend to hold body fat around the mid section. The stomach area is what women dread the most, explains James, but doing moves that work your core will tighten things up. “A man likes to grab on to a nice cushy bum. Not a flabby tummy. Develop your core strength here (abs, obliques, lower back) and everything becomes much easier to execute,” she adds. Your abs will be fire by the time you’re done with the workout.

A taut pelvic floor

Kegel exercises will intensify your orgasms, says James. “After childbirth, the muscle down there is all stretched out and women may become a little less ‘sensitive’. Your pelvic floor is a muscle. If you strengthen it by doing kegels, it will get so tight and taut so that when you do reach climax- sensations will be 10 times more powerful.” Get started by doing three sets of 10 James’ Seductive Squats a day.

Toned legs & bum

Doing the lusty ‘Lusty Lunges’ will target the little pockets of cellulite that tend to appear on the side of the thighs. The ‘Bend Over Better’ move will tighten your glutes, meaning your bum will look great naked. Stick to the workout for 30 minutes, three times a week for “a better, bolder sex life.”

•Wheat and any other refined carbohydrates (pizza, cake-all the white flour based tasty stuff). They will make your belly bloat.•Salad. Bet you get all smug when you order salad on a date, thinking you’re being super healthy. Unfortunately, raw fruit and vegetables tend to make us gassy. Aim for minimum roughage. Maybe go for a piece of fish and some asparagus.* Alcohol. In the book, Anastasia Steele is always drinking- which is fine, but too much of it will numb your sexual response. One glass of wine is enough to heighten your senses.